ATV with fender storage compartment

ABSTRACT

An all terrain vehicle is provided with one or more wheel fenders that double as storage compartments. The fenders define a hollow volume into which a variety of desired items can be placed for storage. An access opening provides access to the hollow volume. A door can be attached to releasably close the access opening. A door can be hinged such that it is readily accessible by a driver of the ATV while seated on the ATV.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates generally to off-road vehicles and morespecifically to All Terrain Vehicles or ATVs. The invention relates morespecifically to ATVs equipped with supplemental storage compartments.

BACKGROUND

ATVs serve a variety of functions for a variety of different people. AnATV typically has four wheels on two axles, although some vehicles haveeither five or six wheels. One or both axles can be driven. ATVs aredesigned for a single driver that straddles the vehicle and do notprovide room for passengers.

Many ATVs are used for professional reasons. For example, a forester mayuse an ATV to patrol the portion of a forest he or she is responsiblefor. Farmers use ATVs for transporting and supporting irrigation andspraying equipment. Ranchers use ATVs for moving and controlling cattle,as well as for hauling feed for the cattle. Rescue personnel also useATVs for reaching potential patients who would otherwise be stranded inrough terrain. ATVs can be used during the heat of summer and in thedepths of a midwinter snowfall.

ATVs often are used in functional roles around the house. In wintertime,an ATV can be equipped with a blade for plowing snow. An ATV can be usedto pull out small tree stumps. A popular option for ATVs is a dump bedthat sits on the rear of the vehicle and can be used to haul bulkmaterials such as dirt and sand or other materials as desired.

For some, an ATV is purely a recreational vehicle that may be drivenalong a beach or through the woods on a Saturday afternoon. For others,an ATV has a more functional role. For example, a hunter may use an ATVto reach remote portions of a hunting ground that is too rough to reachby conventional vehicle and too remote to reach on foot. The ATV can beused to haul in supplies and gear and to haul out the day's bounty.

No matter the intended use of an ATV, one common denominator is a desirefor maximizing available storage space. To address this, some ATVmanufacturers offer a variety of supplemental storage bags asaccessories. For example, a hunter may want an add-on scabbard adaptedto hold a rifle. Rescue personnel may utilize add-on storage adapted tohold medical equipment.

These add-on storage bags often mount to the rear rack of an ATV, tyingup valuable space. Thus, a need remains for an ATV having enhancedstorage capability.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention involves an off-road or all terrain vehicle thatis provided with wheel fenders that double as storage compartments. Thefenders define a hollow volume into which a variety of desired items canbe placed for storage. These storage fenders can be configured andpositioned as either front or rear wheel fenders. An off-road vehiclecan be equipped with any combination of front and rear wheel storagefenders. A hinged door provides access to the hollow volume but shutstightly to keep out the elements. The hinged door is readily accessibleby a driver of the ATV while seated on the ATV.

Accordingly, the invention is found in an off-road vehicle fender thathas front and rear panels that are configured or adapted to a wheelopening contour and are spaced apart. First and second side panels areconnected to each of the front and rear panels and the front and rearpanels and first and second side panels cooperate to form a storagecompartment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of an off-road or all terrain vehicle(shown in phantom) illustrating placement of a rear fender and accesspanel located in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of an off-road or all terrain vehicle(shown in phantom) illustrating a rear fender having an access panellocated in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of an off-road or all terrain vehicle(shown in phantom) illustrating a front fender that has an access panellocated in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of an off-road or all terrain vehicle(shown in phantom) illustrating a front fender that has an access panellocated in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention involves an off-road or all terrain vehicle thatis provided with one or more wheel fenders that double as storagecompartments. These storage compartment fenders can be positioned nearthe front wheels, the rear wheels or the front and rear wheels of theall terrain vehicle. Each of these fenders define a hollow volume intowhich a variety of desired items can be placed for storage. In apreferred embodiment, a hinged door provides access to the hollow volumebut shuts tightly to keep out the elements. The hinged door is readilyaccessible by a driver of the ATV while seated on the ATV.Alternatively, the door may be attached to the storage fender in avariety of different ways or the storage fender may have an accessopening lacking any cover or door.

Preferably, the fender has front and rear panels that are configured oradapted to a wheel opening contour. The front and rear panels are spacedapart to form a volume therebetween. The fender also has side panelsthat are connected to each of the front and rear panels to form acomplete storage compartment.

The invention is perhaps best understood in conjunction with theFigures. FIG. 1 is a side elevation of an ATV 100, shown in phantom,illustrating the placement of a storage fender 110 in accordance withthe invention. The ATV 100 illustrated is seen as having a dump bin 102in place of its customary rear rack. This is of course a particularembodiment of the invention, but the invention is certainly not limitedto such.

The storage fender 110 as illustrated has a front panel 114 and a rearpanel 116. In this, front and rear are arbitrary and do not necessarilyrelate to the front and rear of an all terrain vehicle. In a preferredembodiment, the front and rear panels 114, 116 are curved so as to forma contour that permits sufficient clearance between the storage fender110 and the wheels 132.

Alternatively, the front and rear panels 114, 116 can be flat or haveany other geometric shape that provides enough storage space whilemaintaining sufficient wheel clearance, as well as being configured foruse with either a front or rear of an ATV. For example, FIG. 3illustrates an embodiment in which a front wheel storage fender 310 hascurved front and rear panels 314, 316 while FIG. 4 shows a front wheelstorage fender 410 having essentially linear or flat front and rearpanels 414, 416. If the front panel 414 and rear panel 416 areessentially flat, the storage fender 410 can have a top panel 422. Whilea running board on one side of an off-road vehicle can provide a bottomto the storage fender 110, 210, 410, it is preferred that the storagefender employ a bottom panel (not illustrated).

It is envisioned that an ATV 100 can be equipped with any combination ofthe storage fenders 110, 310, 410 described herein. While an ATV 100could have two front storage fenders and two rear storage fenders, itmay be necessary to limit the ATV 100 to fewer storage fenders,depending on the space requirements of other accessories. For example,it may be necessary to not utilize one or both of the front storagefenders if the ATV 100 is equipped with a snowplow that has operationallevers, etc. extending along one side of the ATV 100.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the storage fender 110 has adepression 122 on its upper surface to accommodate the dump bin 102. Ifthe dump bin 102 is not present, the storage fender 110 can besubstantially larger.

The first and second curved panels 114, 116 are preferably connected tofirst and second side panels 118 and 120 (not visible) to form a storagevolume. While the storage fender 110 has been described herein as beingformed from four distinct panels, it is preferred that the storagefender 110 be fashioned from a single piece of material. Alternatively,the storage fender 110 can be assembled from any number of distinctelements. This is a manufacturing decision easily handled by one ofordinary skill in the art.

Preferably, the storage fender 110 is a unitary molded plasticstructure. A variety of plastics can be used, including polyethylene,polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonate, polypropylene and others. Of course,the storage fender 110 can also be fashioned out of metals such asaluminum or steel or even from wood should this be preferable for aparticular application.

The storage fender 110 has an internal volume that is limited only bythe dimensions of the particular ATV to which it is fitted. Preferably,the storage fender 110 has a front to back distance (between the firstpanel 114 and the rear panel 116) that is at least about 1 inch,preferably at least about 2 inches while the side to side distance(between the first and second side panels 118, 120) ranges between 1 and12 inches, depending on the available space at the wheel well.

As illustrated, the storage fender 110 has a door 116 that permits adriver of the ATV to access the interior of the storage fender 110.Preferably, the door 116 permits the driver to access the interior ofthe storage fender 110 while the driver is seated on the ATV 100. FIG. 2illustrates an alternative embodiment having a door 216 located in sidepanel 118, rather than in curved panel 116. In FIG. 3, a door 316 islocated near the top of the curved rear panel 318 while in FIG. 4 a door416 is seen located further down in the flat or linear rear panel 418.As another alternative, the door 116 can be located within surface 122(or 422) that forms a top of the storage fender 110 (or 410).

In a preferred embodiment, the door 116 is hinged on one end to permitthe door to swing open and shut. The door 116 has a handle 113 for easeof use, and preferably has a suitable latch mechanism on the inner side(unseen) of the door 116. Alternatively, the door 116 can be free ofhinges and instead rely on a friction fit to remain within first curvedpanel 116. While not illustrated in this fashion, the door 116 can alsobe circular and be threaded for connection to a panel.

The above specification provides an enabling description of themanufacture and use of the invention. Since many embodiments of theinvention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended.

We claim:
 1. An enclosed storage compartment configured as an off-roadvehicle fender, the enclosed storage compartment comprising: front andrear panels configured to a wheel opening contour, the front and rearpanels being spaced apart; first and second side panels connected toeach of the front and rear panels, and at least one of a top panel and abottom panel, the first and second side panels cooperating with thefront and rear panels, and the at least one of a top and bottom panelcooperating with the front and rear panels and the first and second sidepanels, to form the enclosed storage compartment, wherein at least oneof the front and rear panels is curved.